***Sorry this chapter is so short. I was going to just start the next scene in this chapter, but I don't think I'd be able to cut it off soon enough if I did that. It was fun writing the argument between Yuffie and her father. Well, you'll see.

Special thanks to The_Windflower_Fairy for helping me figure this website out once again. Without her, I'd surely have thrown in the towel by now and you'd be left with an unfinished story forever!***

Chapter Fifteen: Strength of Character

Yuffie shuffled down the hallway slowly. She would've liked to have stayed with Vincent a little longer, but she had delayed this inevitable conversation for too long already.

As expected, Godo was waiting for her where she left him, sipping his tea casually. "So, you've come back? I wasn't sure if I should wait for you or assume you'd snuck out the back way."

Yuffie's face was serious. "I'm back because I want to settle this once and for all."

Godo set his tea cup down firmly and his posture stiffened. "Very well. I'm prepared to listen to anything you have to say."

"Are you?" she said, suddenly unable to maintain eye contact with her father.

"You're my daughter, Yuffie. I want you to be happy."

This was it, Yuffie thought. This was her opportunity to tell him everything. "But I am happy," she said, eyes on the floor.

"Yuffie, nobody is happy with an uncertain future looming in the distance. Human beings like structure and assurance. Most of all, we like companionship. Do you really think you'll always be satisfied by yourself?"

"I'm not alone, Dad. I have a lot of friends…"

"Ah, yes, the Avalanche group. Don't get me wrong; they're a courageous and honorable bunch of people. But I cannot think of one individual among them who would make a suitable mate for my daughter."

"Not even one?" Yuffie mumbled, so quietly that she wasn't certain Godo had heard her until he raised an eye brow.

"Is there something you wish to tell me, Yuffie?"

"It's… difficult for me to tell you this. I know you'll just fly off the handle. You'll probably disinherit me."

"Speak freely, daughter. I cannot imagine an atrocity serious enough to make me disown my own child."

That relieved her somewhat, though she doubted the sincerity of these words. She knew exactly what type of thing would cause Godo to blow his stack. Why, he'd probably ban her from ever returning to Wutai after this day. Even so, she knew what she wanted, and the old man would have to be told eventually. Better to get it over with now while she had his full attention.

"I'm seeing someone already," she blurted out. "So, I can't marry whoever you have lined up for me, see?"

"You mean… you're seeing a man?"

Yuffie glared at him then. "I may be a tomboy, but I'm not a lesbian!"

"No, no, I was not implying anything of the sort. I'm just… surprised. Tell me about this young man. Is he from Wutai?"

"No, he's not. I… don't really know where he comes from originally."

"Who are his parents? What does the family do?"

"You don't understand, Dad. I'm not dating someone from a wealthy, prestigious family. To be honest, I don't know who his parents were, either."

"Yuffie, don't tell me you're dating a vagabond! Why, someone like that can only be after your inheritance!"

"Stop it, Dad! What is it that makes you think that way?"

"You're a princess, Yuffie. You need to be careful what kind of people to allow into your life."

"Look… If I tell you who he is, will you promise not to go flying off the handle?"

"I promise only to act appropriately."

"It's… Vincent."

Godo didn't move; didn't even blink.

For a moment Yuffie thought he might be taking the news well. That was before he threw back the remainder of his tea and rose from the table.

"Dad?"

He turned away slowly and began walking out of the room. Yuffie was shaking when she stood to follow him. She ran forward, stopping to block him from leaving the room.

"Dammit, Dad! Don't do this!"

"I am… disappointed, Yuffie."

"WHY! What is it you don't approve of?"

"I'd be more hard pressed to think of something I do approve of."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"I am not." Godo tried to push past her, but she took him off guard when she put her hands against his chest and shoved him back.

"Yuffie… This conversation is over."

"The hell it is! I'm not letting you leave this room until you listen to me!"

Godo crossed his arms, refusing to meet her gaze. Evidently, this was the most she was going to get.

"I want you to meet Vincent."

"I've met him on two occasions now."

"But you've never talked to him."

"I know what I need to know."

"And what is that?"

Godo turned harshly on her then. "He's a freak, Yuffie. Not even human. How can I concede to allowing my only child to marry something like that?"

"I'm not asking your permission, Dad. And I'm not marrying him; we're just dating."

"Wutainese women do not date, Yuffie. They court, and then they marry. Anything else would be immoral."

"Again with the ridiculous traditions! It's time to wake up, Dad! That's not how the world works anymore!"

"As long as I am ruling Wutai, it is the way things will work here."

"You're impossible…" Yuffie's throat was hoarse from shouting. "Why can't you just be happy for me?"

Godo sighed. "Because I do not think you will be happy with this decision in the long run. And I do not think Wutai will benefit from your poor decision."

"Fine," she sighed. "If that's the way you feel, then I don't want any part in this. I'll leave Wutai and never come back."

She turned to go, then felt Godo's hand fall onto her shoulder. "Wait."

She stopped and turned to look at him. His face had softened somewhat.

"Is he… really so important to you?"

Yuffie nodded. "Yes."

"This is… unfortunate, Yuffie. I had hoped you would make a more sensible decision. However, I refuse to allow something like this to come between us. I love you, Yuffie." He put his arms around her then and she thought she could hear him sobbing quietly.

"I love you, too, Dad. That's why it hurts so much."

When Godo finally released her he had a thoughtful expression on his face. "Come with me," he said quietly. "There is something you must see."

He led her down the hall toward his bedroom. Once inside, he pulled a painting off the wall and carefully set it down, revealing a hidden wall safe. Yuffie had, of course, known about the safe since she was a child. There wasn't a secret in Wutai she wasn't aware of. Yet she hadn't been able to crack the combination in all these years.

Godo opened the safe, being careful to block Yuffie's view from the dial as he entered the combination. Once open, he removed a small wooden box with an ivory inlay of the Kisaragi family crest. Inside the box were a few of Yuffie's mother's personal belongings; a pendant, a comb and her wedding ring which had been passed down to the wives of the Kisaragi emperors for generations. Also in the box was a small, tattered photograph which Godo removed carefully and examined a moment before he handed it to Yuffie.

In the photo was a young woman standing in front of a small farmhouse. She wore peasant's clothes, gloves and well-worn mud boots. Yuffie recognized the woman immediately. "…Mother?"

Godo nodded. "That was the year I first met your mother. She was fifteen, and the most beautiful woman I had ever seen."

"Mother was a farmer?"

"And your grandfather was not at all pleased with my decision to see her. We kept our relationship a secret for two years, until my father died of an unexpected illness. When I succeeded, I brought your mother to the palace in secret and introduced her as a foreign princess to my subjects. It could have so easily been a scandal, but we were never found out. Now the only living people who know are you and me."

Yuffie smiled. She'd always assumed her mother was what she said; yet knowing the truth somehow made her seem more human.

"Why are you showing me this, Dad?"

Godo sighed. "I know what it's like to love the wrong person. If I had listened to my father, I would have missed out on the most wonderful period of my life. And I wouldn't have you."

"Then… you're okay with this?"

"I'm never going to be okay, Yuffie, because I'm never going to stop worrying about you. But I will not stand in your way if Vincent is the man you truly want."

Yuffie threw her arms around him then. "Thank you, Dad… Thank you so much. You don't know what this means to me."

"I do know, Yuffie. And that's the only reason I'm going to keep my mouth shut about this."

Yuffie kissed her father on the cheek, making him blush a little. "There's one more thing I'd like to ask," she said. Godo raised an eyebrow. "I want you to tell Vincent you accept him."

Godo closed his eyes, then nodded slowly. "If that is what it takes to keep you in my life, then I will do it."